tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86397788624504580132024-03-12T17:54:46.442-07:00more than wafflesskyler goes to french speaking belgiumSkylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01261442388718617603noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639778862450458013.post-72644881700344710842013-07-15T16:59:00.003-07:002013-07-15T17:02:39.195-07:00en plus!In addition to my digital camera, I also took my film camera along to Belgium. Throughout the year, I just snapped a few pictures here and there whenever the time felt right. Here are a few that I liked and I thought I would share with you all!<br />
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Skylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01261442388718617603noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639778862450458013.post-23087685711341299962013-07-15T16:36:00.002-07:002013-07-15T16:36:32.758-07:00la finAs they often say, all good things must come to an end. Unfortunately, my exchange year in Belgium was no exception. I am currently writing this blog post from my house in the United States. I arrived back just four days ago, and it's been rather strange to be home. I often find myself thinking in French and comparing the things I see and experience to my life in Belgium. I'm sure my friends and family are already sick of me saying "in Belgium, we...", but sometimes it's hard not to share my thoughts!<br />
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My last few weeks in Belgium were great. Right after the exams at school finished, I made sure to fill up my days with things to do. I went numerous places and saw lots of things, ranging from Luxembourg to the Netherlands to Brussels and so on.<br />
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Overall, my year in Belgium was probably the best decision I've ever made so far in my life. The chance to learn another language, travel, and meet so many new people is probably never going to be as easy as it was this year. I am still having some difficulty realizing that it is really over forever. However, this past year was just the beginning! There are still so many things to do and so many new places to see. The future is wide open to possibility. In just a short month, I'll be starting college in Philadelphia. That in itself is going to be new and exciting (fun fact: the day that I move into my dorm room is the same day that I left for Belgium last year). For now, I will take the next few weeks to just reflect and enjoy my time that I'm spending in my home town. I hope to visit Belgium and my host family again someday soon! La Belgique, tu me manqueras.<br />
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Namur! Last day of school picnic at the citadelle.</div>
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(June 18, 2013)</div>
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Montevideo at the Namur music festival.</div>
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(June 22, 2013)</div>
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Callie sleeping in the grass in a park in Maastricht, the Netherlands.</div>
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(June 29, 2013)</div>
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Maastricht...bikes!</div>
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(June 29, 2013)</div>
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The St. Servatius Bridge in Maastricht.</div>
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(June 29, 2013)</div>
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We found a tire swing in the woods at our AFS orientation. Hoorah!</div>
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(July 1, 2013)</div>
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Everyone brought flags to sign at the orientation as a little souvenir to remember our year in Belgium.</div>
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(July 2, 2013)</div>
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My friend Keaton from Michigan playing guitar. It was a great way to end the year.</div>
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(July 2, 2013)</div>
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The Vianden Castle in Luxembourg.</div>
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(July 3, 2013)</div>
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My host sister Caroline (on the right) came back from a year abroad in Russia just one week before I left for Belgium, so my host family and I took a day trip to Luxembourg.</div>
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(July 3, 2013)</div>
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Vianden, Luxembourg.</div>
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(July 3, 2013)</div>
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Streets of Vianden.</div>
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(July 3, 2013)</div>
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Giant glasses of apple cider.</div>
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(July 3, 2013)</div>
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My host family and I, together in a photo at last!</div>
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(July 3, 2013)</div>
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(July 3, 2013)</div>
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Echternach, Luxembourg.</div>
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(July 3, 2013)</div>
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Un escargot!</div>
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(July 3, 2013) </div>
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We took an awesome hike in the woods. It was a perfect way to end the year!</div>
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(July 3, 2013)</div>
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Another photo together, even if it's a little bit too dark.</div>
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(July 3, 2013)</div>
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Moss-tastic.</div>
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(July 3, 2013)</div>
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July 4th party at Callie's house!</div>
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(July 4, 2013)</div>
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Multiple nationalities other than Americans celebrated July 4th with us as well, including Latvia, Honduras, Norway, Denmark, and Australia!</div>
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(July 4, 2013)</div>
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My two host sisters, Caroline and Christelle, during our last day BBQ.</div>
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(July 5, 2013)</div>
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<br />Skylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01261442388718617603noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639778862450458013.post-89812111423090568852013-06-07T12:56:00.000-07:002013-06-07T12:56:42.454-07:00best of belgium<div>
In one month from now, I will be home in the United States. It's rather strange to think about it, because I feel like I have gotten accustomed to my life here in Belgium. I'm feeling more and more comfortable in French every day, I feel at ease with my host family, I know most of the major cities (like Brussels and Namur) pretty well, etc. I think that going back to the United States is also going to be a big culture shock, maybe even more so than when I arrived here in Belgium. In addition, most of my friends are graduating and I'm not graduating with them, so that's a little bit strange as well. However, when I think about it, there's no other way I would have wanted to spend my senior year than studying abroad here in Belgium. It's an experience that I'll never forget for the rest of my life, as stereotypical as that sounds. If you're considering being an exchange student, don't think. Just do it! </div>
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These past few weeks, I've just been out and about in Belgium. I've been trying to do as many things as I can before I leave in just one short month! Here are a few photos from what I've been doing lately.<br />
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My friend Katerina from the Czech Republic taught me how to make a dandelion chain, a skill I never seemed to learn.</div>
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(May 9, 2013)</div>
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My friend Callie from Texas came over to my house for a night. We wandered around in mustard fields and had a barbeque with my host family. It was a great time!</div>
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(May 9, 2013)</div>
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Space invaders in Brussels!</div>
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(May 18, 2013)</div>
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I found one of my favorite poets (Shel Silverstein) in an English bookstore in Brussels! </div>
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(May 18, 2013)</div>
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So this guy was handing out flower necklaces in Brussels...?</div>
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(May 18, 2013)</div>
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A beautiful Saturday afternoon in Brussels.</div>
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(May 18, 2013)</div>
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My friend Mie from Denmark, pre-pasta cooking! We had a fun night at her house making food and watching the Eurovision finals...and Denmark won!</div>
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(May 18, 2013)</div>
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My new friend Dani from Canada! She can fit into tiny cupboards, as we found out after I failed miserably.</div>
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(May 19, 2013)</div>
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Cecilie from Norway playing us some morning tribal music. Cultural differences?</div>
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(May 19, 2013)</div>
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The view from Mie's apartment in Brussels.</div>
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(May 19, 2013)</div>
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Crime scene: breakfast remains.</div>
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Cause of death: hungry teenagers.</div>
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(May 19, 2013)</div>
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The Brussels Jazz Festival in la Grande Place. It was awesome, but really cold!</div>
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(May 24, 2013)</div>
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My friend Claire from Oregon and I enjoying a comfortable couch in an awesome cafe. It reminded me of what the Weasley's house would look like.</div>
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(May 24, 2013)</div>
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Claire and Elizabete (from Latvia) in front of some awesome stained glass windows.</div>
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(May 24, 2013)</div>
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Apple vs. cigarette and coffee. It's like an advertisement for a health magazine.</div>
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(May 24, 2013)</div>
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When she writes her first book, this will be the photo on the inner flap. We've decided.</div>
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(May 24, 2013)</div>
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Books, but fake ones.</div>
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(May 24, 2013)</div>
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Claire isn't so claire.</div>
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(May 24, 2013)</div>
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Crowd shadows at the jazz festival.</div>
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(May 24, 2013)</div>
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La Grande Place, Bruxelles.</div>
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(May 25, 2013)</div>
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WAFFLE TRUCKS. Only in Belgium!</div>
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(May 25, 2013)</div>
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The old 5 euro bill vs. the new 5 euro bill. Intense changes are happening.</div>
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(May 31, 2013)</div>
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Callie and our friend Fréé from Ghent with "apples".</div>
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(May 31, 2013)</div>
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My bro Albert Einstein and I.</div>
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(May 31, 2013)</div>
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THE BELGIAN COAST. My first time seeing the ocean in almost 10 months!</div>
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(May 31, 2013)</div>
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Well, it's a good picture of Callie...</div>
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(May 31, 2013)</div>
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Couldn't get enough of those foam things.</div>
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(May 31, 2013)</div>
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And...we're jumping!</div>
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(May 31, 2013)</div>
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Callie's got some air.</div>
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(May 31, 2013)</div>
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The symbol of Wallonie in Flanders? What is this!?</div>
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(May 31, 2013)</div>
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Callie's host-grandparents live near Bruges, which is a city in Flanders. They have one of the cutest (and I hate using the word cute...) cottages I have ever seen. There is also a forest surrounding the entire property and it's pretty much the greatest place ever.</div>
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(June 1, 2013)</div>
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Suddenly, I found myself in a tree sofa.</div>
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(June 1, 2013)</div>
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Falling into giant shrubberies!</div>
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(June 1, 2013)</div>
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A morning walk in the woods.</div>
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(June 1, 2013)</div>
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There's the house...when can I move in?</div>
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Callie and windmill.</div>
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Thanks for the canal, Napoleon.</div>
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(June 1, 2013)</div>
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Water plants are the best.</div>
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Windmill along the Damme Canal (a canal constructed by Napoleon, nonetheless!).</div>
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(June 1, 2013)</div>
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And now we're in Bruges! It's sometimes known as the "Venice of Belgium" because there are so many canals throughout the city. It's a beautiful place!</div>
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Bruges, I'll be back.</div>
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(June 1, 2013)</div>
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I'm starting to film more as the year goes on. My videos are nothing special at all, usually just silent clips with music, but I hope that you enjoy them anyway! They're just a little bit of an extra thing in addition to photos that I take for some nice memories.</div>
<br />Skylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01261442388718617603noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639778862450458013.post-78092862701012835382013-05-17T12:09:00.002-07:002013-05-21T10:41:04.614-07:00cha-cha-cha-changes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Before I came to Belgium, I was told by many people that the culture is not drastically different. There are a few small differences, but on the whole, it's not really a "culture shock". After more than 8 months here, I think that I can agree to that statement as well. The Belgian culture is not extremely different to life in the United States, but there are a few little things that make it unique. There were a few times, especially during the beginning, where I thought to myself, "we don't really do that." But that is the best part of the exchange, in my opinion!<br />
Here are just a few examples:<br />
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<b>1. BREAD. BREAD. BREAD.</b> Belgians eat so much bread! In my host family, we eat it for breakfast, lunch, and (sometimes) dinner. For breakfast, we eat bread with jam or chocolate spread. Normally, we have warm milk with it as well (that was strange for me at the beginning because I used to never drink plain milk). For lunch, we make little sandwiches called a "tartine". They are different than sandwiches because they are usually just one piece of meat or one piece of cheese between slices of bread, instead of with the other toppings that a sandwich usually has. Don't get me wrong, bread is great! But it was just a lifestyle change that I had to adapt to when I arrived here in Belgium. I'm sure that I'm going to go back to the United States, I'm going to eat all of the bread in the house and my parents will be really confused.<br />
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<b>2. School is more relaxed, but at the same time, more strict.</b> I don't really know how to explain it. It's more relaxed in the way that if you don't have a class at the end of beginning of the day, you can arrive later/leave earlier. Also, if a teacher is not there, you just don't have class. In the United States, there is always a subsitute teacher and you have to stay in school for the entire school day. However, I find that school in Belgium is much more intense. There is almost always homework or a test to study for. There were some times in the U.S. where I could go for an entire week or two without doing homework or studying, because I would do all of my homework and studying at school. In addition, here in Belgium, there is almost no choice in what classes you can take or the level of difficulty. Everyone must take math, science, languages, etc. In the U.S., many people can take advanced classes or even graduate early if they arrange their schedules accordingly. I love Belgium, but school is something I prefer in the United States for the reason that there is more liberty in the choice of your education.<br />
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<b>3. In Belgium, the teenagers normally don't have jobs.</b> That was one thing that was pretty odd for me right away. I have had a job since I was fourteen years old (working at an ice cream stand, nonetheless...) and because of that, I feel like I grew up to be a pretty independent person. While I agree that Belgian teenagers are independent, it was just rather shocking to me that most of their parents give them money for things such as going out with friends, their cars, buying clothes, etc. Perhaps teens in the U.S. do that as well, but for me, it's a change to rely on parents in that sense (not that it's a bad thing, it's just a change)! Additionally, most of the teenagers in Belgium go home after school and study, while a lot of teenagers in the United States go to their jobs after school.<br />
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<b>4. A lot of emphasis is placed on drinks.</b> While Belgium is a country known worldwide for having the best beer, I don't necessarily mean alcoholic drinks. I mean just the idea of a beverage in general. If you visit someone's house, they will offer you a drink. If you go to a sports game, there is a bar to buy drinks. Sometimes if people are bored, they'll just go out and buy a coke or a glass of water at a cafe. Beverages were never something that I really thought a lot about in the United States, so that was something new for me when I arrived to Belgium.<br />
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<b>5. Public transportation is awesome and easy to use!</b> I take the public bus to school every day, which is actually something that I never did before I came to Belgium. In the United States, I would either take the school bus or drive my car to school. I also take the train at least once a month here in Belgium, and it's not too expensive if you buy this thing called a GoPass (it's a special "ticket" for students where you only pay 5 euros a trip...to anywhere in Belgium that you want)! I actually love going on public transportation if I have my iPod along with me, so I don't mind taking it at all. Personally, I think that is one thing that the United States should work on improving a little bit. Public transportation is the way to go. Belgium's got that one down!Skylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01261442388718617603noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639778862450458013.post-34471215517175615752013-05-11T07:44:00.004-07:002013-05-11T08:04:44.812-07:00london (calling)Last weekend, my host family and I took a little voyage across the pond from Brussels, Belgium to London, England! We took the train and went underneath the sea in a tunnel. London is actually not far away from Belgium at all and the trip only took a little more than two hours. We arrived on Friday night and stayed until Sunday night. London is a big city, but I feel that we actually saw quite a bit in such a short period of time. It's good that my host family is organized, because that is unfortunately not my strongest suit! We stayed in a hotel near the Wembley Park underground station. It was a bit outside of the center city, but it was no problem. On Saturday, the weather was pretty unpredictable. At first, it was sunny and then the next minute, it was pouring rain and even hailing. Who knew? However, we still did a lot of things on Saturday regardless of the weather, from feeding squirrels in Hyde Park to seeing the famous Big Ben to even going up in the London Eye (my favorite part of the trip), which is basically this giant ferris wheel where you can see the whole city from above. If you've ever seen a postcard from London, the London Eye is probably on it. In the evening, we ate at this really cool restaurant with Nepal-style food. When in London, eat ethnic foods! On Sunday, we visited Tower Bridge and even walked across it. We also saw the Cornichon/Gherkin/30 Street Mary Axe building (there are too many names to handle), which is this skyscraper that looks like a cucumber. We also ate fish 'n chips with peas (the typical English dish), walked around Covent Garden, and saw Saint Paul's Cathedral. This trip definitely gave me a "bonne impression" of London, and I'm very thankful that my host family made it possible for me to visit the city!<br />
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Obligatory tea photo with obligatory Twinings tea.</div>
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(May 4, 2013)</div>
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Just outside the Wembley Park station.</div>
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CLEANEST METRO I HAVE EVER BEEN ON IN MY LIFE. It even smelled good underground! How is that possible? You're doing something right, London...</div>
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The map, a tourist's best friend.</div>
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If it weren't for a few rebellious guys who didn't want to pay taxes anymore, we Americans might all be waving this flag today! Weird.</div>
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This tree's situation is not looking good.</div>
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Trying to make a new squirrel friend in Hyde Park.</div>
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Success! Also, we learned that squirrels don't like bread, but they're big fans of almonds. Note taken for next time.</div>
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I actually think the squirrels in London are nicer and more tame than in the United States. I tried to feed a squirrel once in PA but it kept running away and making menacing noises, so I decided it would be a good idea to stop because of, you know, diseases and whatnot.</div>
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Some bikes in Hyde Park.</div>
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Hi, mom.</div>
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(May 4, 2013)</div>
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Ducks are great animals.</div>
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(May 4, 2013)</div>
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Well, that looks awesome.</div>
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(May 4, 2013)</div>
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Here's the phone booth picture that everyone needs to take when visiting London.</div>
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(May 4, 2013)</div>
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This building kind of reminded me of Paris. I guess a lot of the architecture in the two cities are similar because of the time periods they were developed in...who knows.</div>
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(May 4, 2013)</div>
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It started hailing! What...</div>
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(May 4, 2013)</div>
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There he stands, the oh-so-famous Big Ben.</div>
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The London Eye from across the River Thames.</div>
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(May 4, 2013)</div>
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Morning routines.</div>
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(May 4, 2013)</div>
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Buckingham Palace and the guards that you always see in Richard Scarry books!</div>
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"Some crazy idiot went to LONDON and all I got was this lousy t-shirt"</div>
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-says the t-shirt</div>
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Double deckin' it.</div>
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(May 4, 2013)</div>
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The London Eye!</div>
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(May 4, 2013)</div>
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It's finally Spring! Hoo-rah, hoo-rah.</div>
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This picture is really dark but you get the idea. My host sister and I up in the London Eye. The view was great!</div>
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All of the little ant people.</div>
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(May 4, 2013)</div>
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A family favorite.</div>
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(May 4, 2013)</div>
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Quel endroit!</div>
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Fountains are always great. Especially fountains in London.</div>
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M&M RAINBOW.</div>
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Tower Bridge, there it is!</div>
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(May 5, 2013)</div>
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This was such a cool place, but all the shops were closed because it was Sunday. Dommage!</div>
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Window of the pub that we ate at for lunch. I didn't get a photo of the outside, but it was inside this awesome blue house.</div>
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Fish 'n chips, peas, and a glass of cider. We can call it a day.</div>
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(May 5, 2013)</div>
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<br />Skylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01261442388718617603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639778862450458013.post-45348806513234727822013-04-26T07:20:00.002-07:002013-04-26T08:32:39.345-07:00the second time aroundWith the year soon coming to a close, I am realizing more and more that I must take advantage of the opportunities that arise to travel or else I will regret it later. That being said, when my friend Gwen from Germany invited me to go to Paris with her and her host mom, I said yes right away! Gwen's host mom was participating in a kyudo convention (which is basically japanese archery), and she told Gwen that she could bring me along so we could explore the city. We had a place right in the center of Paris to stay at for no cost, so it was a done deal. In addition, the weather was beautiful! I am glad that I had to opportunity to visit Paris twice, because each time was a completely different experience. With my sister, it was still fairly cold for April, but I felt like we took our time to just enjoy Paris and hang out with each other. With Gwen, I felt like I saw a lot more of the monumental things of Paris that the whole world comes to see, and in addition, the weather was perfect. This time with Gwen, I felt as though the city was more "alive". People were out along the river (La Seine) reading books, sitting in park enjoying the sun, and there were even markets on almost every street. It's not everyday that I can say that I went to Paris for the weekend, so I tried to enjoy every minute. It's a great city, filled with little nooks and crannies. I hope that one day I will spend a longer amount of time there so I can explore even more!<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QN7Hx9b-Y0k/UXqAZaF7JtI/AAAAAAAAC6o/8tfF4WkY0SI/s1600/DSC_0986.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QN7Hx9b-Y0k/UXqAZaF7JtI/AAAAAAAAC6o/8tfF4WkY0SI/s640/DSC_0986.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The Galeries Lafayette dome.</div>
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(April 20, 2013)</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LDOobtAg5SM/UXqAZ-VXruI/AAAAAAAAC6s/mMzZnSZ3ejQ/s1600/DSC_0990.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LDOobtAg5SM/UXqAZ-VXruI/AAAAAAAAC6s/mMzZnSZ3ejQ/s640/DSC_0990.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Le Jardin des Tuileries.</div>
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(April 20, 2013)</div>
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Everyone wants a piece (of sun).</div>
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(April 20, 2013)</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4mc-KQGTmlY/UXqAjQ66aWI/AAAAAAAAC7I/9zNE8arfuq0/s1600/DSC_1017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4mc-KQGTmlY/UXqAjQ66aWI/AAAAAAAAC7I/9zNE8arfuq0/s640/DSC_1017.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Tree shadows are cool.</div>
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(April 20, 2013)</div>
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So are bike shadows.</div>
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(April 20, 2013)</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tB9tgPE78kQ/UXqAm7PqKLI/AAAAAAAAC7Y/DYl4gKtiGVg/s1600/DSC_1033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tB9tgPE78kQ/UXqAm7PqKLI/AAAAAAAAC7Y/DYl4gKtiGVg/s640/DSC_1033.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Now there's a sight I like to see.</div>
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(April 20, 2013)</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O1m71hkpCIQ/UXqApBZlpcI/AAAAAAAAC7g/wrtROOIkVdc/s1600/DSC_1038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O1m71hkpCIQ/UXqApBZlpcI/AAAAAAAAC7g/wrtROOIkVdc/s640/DSC_1038.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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My friend Gwen hanging out near Les Invalides.</div>
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(April 20, 2013)</div>
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We bought some nice mango-apple juice and hung out near the Eiffel Tower. What could be better?</div>
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(April 20, 2013)</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QUOROxDtxwc/UXqAsgqV_RI/AAAAAAAAC7w/wASlkO0CoSQ/s1600/DSC_1074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QUOROxDtxwc/UXqAsgqV_RI/AAAAAAAAC7w/wASlkO0CoSQ/s640/DSC_1074.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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And there it is.</div>
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(April 20, 2013)</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LgvzG1awQ4c/UXqA9ZDgr1I/AAAAAAAAC8A/MoB_4yb8DL8/s1600/DSC_1115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LgvzG1awQ4c/UXqA9ZDgr1I/AAAAAAAAC8A/MoB_4yb8DL8/s640/DSC_1115.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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The locks commence.</div>
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(April 20, 2013)</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yklG6n__AhE/UXqBJu2VwoI/AAAAAAAAC8Q/D7FNB-ao1cA/s1600/DSC_1139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yklG6n__AhE/UXqBJu2VwoI/AAAAAAAAC8Q/D7FNB-ao1cA/s640/DSC_1139.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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The Pyramids at the Louvre museum.</div>
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(April 20, 2013)</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B4gMJUQcNtw/UXqBMURBJCI/AAAAAAAAC8Y/PuhGZwW61WY/s1600/DSC_1151.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B4gMJUQcNtw/UXqBMURBJCI/AAAAAAAAC8Y/PuhGZwW61WY/s640/DSC_1151.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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Moulin Rouge in the night.</div>
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(April 20, 2013)</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UonacMDVm-c/UXqBPJ_vmaI/AAAAAAAAC8g/Hb9pBav7k_I/s1600/DSC_1157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UonacMDVm-c/UXqBPJ_vmaI/AAAAAAAAC8g/Hb9pBav7k_I/s640/DSC_1157.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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View of Paris from the Sacré-Coeur.</div>
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(April 20, 2013)</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/sJz4v9rYT7U?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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The place we stayed in was this artist loft. It was awesome! There was one guy who gave us little flip books that he made. When you flip through the pages, it looks like a little film.</div>
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(April 21, 2013)</div>
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One of my favorite plants: jade plant. When I get back to the United States, it will be really interesting to see how much all of my plants have grown. (That's a warning, mom.)</div>
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(April 21, 2013)</div>
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The arrows used for kyudo, but they're not really arrows at all.</div>
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(April 21, 2013)</div>
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In Belgium, breakfast is called déjeuner, but in France it's called petit déjeuner (fun fact for you).</div>
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(April 21, 2013)</div>
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If the Parisians have got one thing right, it's the architecture.</div>
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(April 21, 2013)</div>
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They also practiced meditation there. Look at all of those comfortable pillows...who wouldn't want to meditate?</div>
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(April 21, 2013)</div>
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I was a fan of their house plants.</div>
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(April 21, 2013)</div>
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And...one more photo of indoor foliage. Sorry.</div>
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(April 21, 2013)</div>
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Bouquets of flowers for sale at every corner!</div>
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(April 21, 2013)</div>
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Big rooms and big windows are the best for taking pictures.</div>
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(April 21, 2013)</div>
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That handy little book sure did help us out.</div>
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(April 21, 2013)</div>
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Gwen and I stood in line at a falafel restaurant for 20 minutes and ate the best falafel of our lives and all I have to remember it by is this silly picture.</div>
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(April 21, 2013)</div>
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I hate it when this happens...and it happens to me a lot. Grass tattoos.</div>
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(April 21, 2013)</div>
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Notre Dame and friends taking advantage of the "le beau temps".</div>
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(April 21, 2013)</div>
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Skylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01261442388718617603noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639778862450458013.post-15728827131968585832013-04-14T03:02:00.000-07:002013-04-14T03:16:51.575-07:00spring....there it is!Hello, world. First off, it's been a while! These past few weeks have been nothing but great and filled with new things. This post will just be a giant blob of end-of-winter/spring madness. March wasn't the most exciting month, but I did little things here and there that were a lot of fun. For example, I went to a concert with my friend Callie, went to some nice restaurants with my host family, went on some walks, etc. I also took two exams right before Easter break and I got back an Easter report card, which is one thing that is kind of different in Belgium than in the United States. Weather-wise, March was a very cold month. It almost felt like we were stuck in February. In the beginning of the month, we even got about 8 inches of snow, so that was a little depressing. It's been a long winter to say the least! But the warmer weather is slowly approaching, and we are all waiting attentively for it!<br />
April has been (and is continuing to be) one of my most favorite months so far in Belgium. At the beginning of the break, I got to travel to Paris for my first time! What's even better is that my sister came with me. My sister Lindsay lives in Oslo, Norway, so she flew down to Brussels to visit me in Belgium. She visited me at my host family's house, we ate a traditional Belgian meal (meatballs from Liège) and then we headed on our way! I showed her around Namur and we climbed the citadelle to get a better view of the city. After that, we headed to Brussels for a night. We visited some of the famous spots, like La Grande Place, ate some traditional Belgian food, and had a great time. We stayed at a youth hostile (even though we had a bit of trouble finding it), which was my first time doing so. The next day, we took a coach b<span style="font-family: inherit;">us to Paris. Once you're in Europe, it's fairly easy to travel around for a low cost, so I had to take advantage of that this year! In Paris, we visited quite a lot! For example, the Eiffel Tower (of course), Notre Dame, Montmartre and the Sacré-Coeur Basilica (my personal favorite) and the Louvre Museum. Paris is a recommendable city and I hope that you will one day have the chance to visit it!</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 17.77777862548828px;">This past week, my second week of Easter vacation, I went to the city of </span>Liège with my organization (AFS) to do something called a "Semaine Intermundo". Basically, it was a week where a bunch of students and volunteers got together and we each worked in different groups, either theater, percussion/singing, or dance. I chose the percussion/singing group and learned how to play the djembe! It was one of the most fun weeks I've had here in Belgium so far this year and I'm sad that it is over. I got to meet other exchange students, play some music, and laugh a lot.<br />
Tomorrow is Monday, which means that the 'ole school routine starts up again. Although school is not my favorite thing, there are only a few weeks left. Whenever I think about this year ending, I have mixed feelings (as I'm sure every other exchange student does). While I am excited to return home and see my old family and friends, I am going to be extremely sad to leave Belgium and all of my experiences behind. However, I know that this will not be my first time traveling and that there will be many more experiences to come in the future. (Sorry, mom.)<br />
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Belgium and Pennsylvania have their similarities.</div>
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(March 3, 2013)</div>
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The opening band (Lylac) </div>
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(March 8, 2013)</div>
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My friend Callie took this picture.</div>
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(March 8, 2013)</div>
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Callie and Melody after the show.</div>
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(March 8, 2013)</div>
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In Belgium, there is this "field day" for the seniors of the school called 100 Jours. Our class theme was hippie. </div>
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(March 24, 2013)</div>
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I thought this costume was awesome! Normally in French, you would write this as "J'ai faim", which means "I'm hungry". She dressed up as a hobo.</div>
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(March 24, 2013)</div>
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We played some trivia/relay race games...</div>
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(March 24, 2013)</div>
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My friend Kaari from Finland on the day that we took a walk with my host family in a local village.</div>
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(April 1, 2013)</div>
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Little animals</div>
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(April 1, 2013)</div>
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Do you see the egg?</div>
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(April 1, 2013)</div>
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Some new buds.</div>
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(April 1, 2013)</div>
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Random mansion that nobody uses. What's up with that?</div>
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(April 1, 2013)</div>
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The Namur Citadelle with Lindsay!</div>
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(April 2, 2013)</div>
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Brussels at sunset.</div>
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(April 2, 2013)</div>
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La Grande Place at night.</div>
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(April 2, 2013)</div>
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If you look closely, you'll find Lindsay.</div>
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(April 2, 2013)</div>
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And...we are at the Louvre!</div>
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(April 3, 2013)</div>
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Little cafes everywhere! The myth is true.</div>
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(April 3, 2013)</div>
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And there she is.</div>
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(April 3, 2013)</div>
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One of many.</div>
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(April 4, 2013)</div>
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My sister and I got caught in the rain so we randomly decided to go into a cafe. About 5 minutes later, these guys start playing live music. It sounded similar to Django Reinhardt, one of my favorite musicians, so it was a great time.</div>
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(April 4, 2013)</div>
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They are trying to stop people from putting locks on the bridge because it's becoming too heavy. Who would have thought.</div>
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(April 4, 2013)</div>
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Some Thursday night long exposures.</div>
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(April 4, 2013)</div>
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Notre Dame! What an awesome church.</div>
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(April 4, 2013)</div>
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Louvre: daytime version.</div>
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(April 5, 2013)</div>
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It's a real mummy! It's almost a little bit too real...</div>
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(April 5, 2013)</div>
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Funny guy.</div>
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(April 5, 2013)</div>
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Who's this square?</div>
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(April 5, 2013)</div>
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I thought this was a really powerful painting.</div>
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(April 5, 2013)</div>
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I saw the Mona Lisa, but unfortunately, it's not all that it's cracked up to be. </div>
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(April 5, 2013)</div>
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The two sisters avec Les Deux Soeurs.</div>
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(April 5, 2013)</div>
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My first-time macaroon experience.</div>
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(April 5, 2013)</div>
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Montmartre and some gusts of wind.</div>
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(April 5, 2013)</div>
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Kind of like in Amélie.</div>
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(April 5, 2013)</div>
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The <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 17.77777862548828px;">Sacré-Cœur Basilica + tourists like me.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 17.77777862548828px;">(April 5, 2013)</span></div>
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Some nice morning sunlight and enjoying our last day in Paris.</div>
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(April 6, 2013)</div>
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They weren't shy with the whipped cream, as you can see.</div>
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(April 6, 2013)</div>
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Skylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01261442388718617603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639778862450458013.post-29179201035359926502013-02-17T14:20:00.000-08:002013-04-14T03:04:05.188-07:00february funI don't usually consider February a very fun month, but it was this year! Here in Belgium, there is a break called Carnival, which is basically a week in the middle of February where there are carnivals and everyone has a week of vacation from school. No complaints from me!<br />
While I didn't actually visit any carnivals, I had a fun week filled with friends and travelling around Belgium. During the beginning of the week my host family and I went to a "Belgian safari" and a cool cave in this small town in the South of Belgium called Han. We had the chance to walk in the woods and sightsee the animals for ourselves on the "safari". There were lots of cool animals from the region, such as wild boar, deer, and even a bear. The caves were also really awesome. Sometimes it just blows me away how nature itself can just form these natural wonders on it's own. The natural world is really remarkable. We also ate at a really cool restaurant that reminded me of Robin Hood with an open fire.<br />
Monday, I went to Namur with my friend Kaari from Finland and we walked around La Citadelle (basically this huge war castle) and ate Belgian chocolate. Then the next day I went with her to Brussels and we visited our friend Elizabeth from Latvia. We went to a few art museums and just walked around the city for a while. Brussels is definitely one of my favorite cities that I have visited so far. While I like the small home-town feel of Namur, I really love how Brussels is such a big place with so many cool things to discover. I hope I can spend a longer amount of time there someday. Thursday, or Valentine's day, I went to my friend Nicole's house. She lives just about 10 minutes from me. Some other girls also came over and we made pizza and watched Titanic and Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain (one of my favorite movies, and now I can almost understand all of it!). I always love hanging out with my exchange student friends because we can all relate to each other and they are generally really easygoing and fun people to be around. For the last day of the vacation, my host family and I visited Ghent! Ghent is a city in the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, the region called Flanders (I live in Wallonia, the French-speaking region). Every time that I visit Flanders, I fall in love with the cities. Everyone rides bikes, there is cool artwork everywhere, and the atmosphere is just completely different. However, I just wish that they spoke French so I could live there! I know nothing about the Dutch language, so I don't think living there will be happening any time soon. My host family and I spent the morning walking around the center of the city and visiting an awesome medieval castle. It was my first time in a castle like that, so it was a pretty cool experience. I am not the biggest history nerd, but I can appreciate some old musty buildings if I am given the chance. We ate at a nice little restaurant for lunch. My host dad told me that it was very typical of Flanders. There were lots of stained glass windows and red-and-white checkered curtains, and they were a restaurant known for their ribs. Interesting combination! In the afternoon, we visited this really tall tower which used to be used for "overviewing" the city of Ghent in the older days. My favorite part was the top of the tower, because you could see an expansive view of the whole city. Afterwards, we went to a cathedral and saw the famous painting, "Adoration of the Mystic Lamb" by Jan van Eyck and Hubert van Eyck. Afterwards, the sun came out a little bit so we walked back and re-visited the center of the city to intake some vitamin D.<br />
Normally, February is one of my least favorite months, but this year was different. It's also pretty strange because I am halfway through my exchange and it is going by so quickly. The winter is almost over, my French is continually getting better, and there are so many more new things to come. I am really excited to see what the rest of the year holds.<br />
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Until the next time,<br />
Skyler<br />
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Waving from the mountain top.</div>
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(February 10, 2013)</div>
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(February 10, 2013)</div>
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(February 10, 2013)</div>
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Some new spring shoots!</div>
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(February 10, 2013)</div>
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Searching for the "chat savage".</div>
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(February 10, 2013)</div>
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(February 10, 2013)</div>
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(February 10, 2013)</div>
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Fields full of wild animals.</div>
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(February 10, 2013)</div>
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The first time that I've ever seen a bear!</div>
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(February 10, 2013)</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zn7cnPFGzFA/USFH4AdIzqI/AAAAAAAACwA/TznAwWaYifI/s1600/DSC_0479+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zn7cnPFGzFA/USFH4AdIzqI/AAAAAAAACwA/TznAwWaYifI/s640/DSC_0479+-+Copy.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Some cool crystals in the cave.</div>
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(February 10, 2013)</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6n9B3c-7LOo/USFH5Ow66mI/AAAAAAAACwI/lC6mefVhXQA/s1600/DSC_0488.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6n9B3c-7LOo/USFH5Ow66mI/AAAAAAAACwI/lC6mefVhXQA/s640/DSC_0488.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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(February 10, 2013)</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5VO9nZ0ptH4/USFH6Kq-i-I/AAAAAAAACwQ/iktdJirTBuo/s1600/DSC_0497.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5VO9nZ0ptH4/USFH6Kq-i-I/AAAAAAAACwQ/iktdJirTBuo/s640/DSC_0497.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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One of the largest and oldest cave structures to exist!</div>
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(February 10, 2013)</div>
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<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/SGQbvxyzSQ8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Some montage video fun.</div>
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(February 10, 2013)</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E95qmkb9cy4/USFH7jHsbsI/AAAAAAAACwY/9n9DCRtBSI8/s1600/DSC_0537.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E95qmkb9cy4/USFH7jHsbsI/AAAAAAAACwY/9n9DCRtBSI8/s640/DSC_0537.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I thought this was pretty cool: the basis of all Latin languages is hieroglyphics.</div>
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(February 12, 2013)</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IxIc06-nk3U/USFH8G8NsDI/AAAAAAAACwc/102alVo-5Qo/s1600/DSC_0540.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IxIc06-nk3U/USFH8G8NsDI/AAAAAAAACwc/102alVo-5Qo/s640/DSC_0540.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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(February 12, 2013)</div>
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An interesting exhibit at the Beaux Arts in Brussels.</div>
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(February 12, 2013)</div>
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They will always give you a little fork like this to eat your fries with. I never really understood why.</div>
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(February 12, 2013)</div>
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My friend Kaari and I drew sketches of each other on the train ride home from Brussels to Namur on some high quality napkin paper. Mine was terrible.</div>
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(February 12, 2013)</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fp1L3l_XmFw/USFGdoLEEZI/AAAAAAAACuk/dO71AysLNZs/s1600/100D31005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fp1L3l_XmFw/USFGdoLEEZI/AAAAAAAACuk/dO71AysLNZs/s640/100D31005.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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Valentine's Day celebrations. Also, my hands still smell like garlic, which is unfortunate.</div>
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(February 14, 2013)</div>
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(February 14, 2013)</div>
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(February 14, 2013)</div>
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(February 14, 2013)</div>
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Flower market in Ghent on a Sunday morning.</div>
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(February 17, 2013)</div>
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Succulents, my personal favorite.</div>
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(February 17, 2013)</div>
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Used book sale along the water.</div>
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(February 17, 2013)</div>
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(February 17, 2013)</div>
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Cathedral in the foggy morning.</div>
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(February 17, 2013)</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J7j8xHuNdlQ/USFIuGpCBTI/AAAAAAAACx4/K3M6y7gY1eM/s1600/DSC_0765.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J7j8xHuNdlQ/USFIuGpCBTI/AAAAAAAACx4/K3M6y7gY1eM/s640/DSC_0765.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Bikers ready-to-go.</div>
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(February 17, 2013)</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d6yhTdYF3OY/USFIx-Pxv9I/AAAAAAAACyA/YZcYA04UpZ4/s1600/DSC_0776.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d6yhTdYF3OY/USFIx-Pxv9I/AAAAAAAACyA/YZcYA04UpZ4/s640/DSC_0776.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I know many people who have irrational fears of pigeons. Sorry if you're one of them.</div>
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(February 17, 2013)</div>
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View from the top of the castle.</div>
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(February 17, 2013)</div>
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Eeeeeep.</div>
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(February 17, 2013)</div>
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Really classy!</div>
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(February 17, 2013)</div>
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(February 17, 2013)</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5-695Dta5hg/USFNL94YyMI/AAAAAAAACzM/2TmAkJ8s_Ks/s1600/DSC_0882.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5-695Dta5hg/USFNL94YyMI/AAAAAAAACzM/2TmAkJ8s_Ks/s640/DSC_0882.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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(February 17, 2013)</div>
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Los zapatos.</div>
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(February 17, 2013)</div>
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<br /><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://i.ytimg.com/vi/a4WwZM3R_98/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/a4WwZM3R_98?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/a4WwZM3R_98?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
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The bell, it tolls.</div>
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(February 17, 2013)</div>
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Skylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01261442388718617603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639778862450458013.post-59247327732936744762013-01-27T01:59:00.002-08:002013-01-27T02:01:59.803-08:00here and thereThis post is mostly just a life update, and I have to say, things really do get better every month! Admittedly, I did have a bit of a rough patch about the second week of January. I'm not sure why, but I was extremely homesick, even more homesick than I was during Christmas. But I think it was just the winter blues. Right now, I am really starting to feel at home here in Belgium. My French is getting better, and therefore, so is school. I am starting to make friends, interact with my classes and teachers, and almost forming "my own life" here in Belgium. Last week, I started some drawing classes at this art school in Namur called "L'Acadamie des Beaux Arts". I will take them every Wednesday for 4-5 hours. I think it will be good for me, because I am rather terrible at drawing. In general, life is good! I hope that this is equally the same for you! Winter can be a sad and cold time, but I think that that will change with the rise of the thermometer. Until the next time!<br />
Here are just a few random pictures that I have taken in the last few weeks.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-87BWvq1kjDo/UQTyqy6jFsI/AAAAAAAACtE/dJ7rpjYAlSA/s1600/DSC_0003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-87BWvq1kjDo/UQTyqy6jFsI/AAAAAAAACtE/dJ7rpjYAlSA/s640/DSC_0003.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I wrote a letter to one of my best friends, Travis, near the beginning of the year and told him that one thing I really missed about Fall was pumpkin flavored things. So he sent me some pumpkin chai tea! What a cool dude.</div>
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(January 3, 2013)</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5RhJ3Kf3370/UQTytcREbLI/AAAAAAAACtM/tBI5C8yr_YA/s1600/DSC_0006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5RhJ3Kf3370/UQTytcREbLI/AAAAAAAACtM/tBI5C8yr_YA/s640/DSC_0006.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I visited Bruges with some other exchange students and another American who was an exchange student in Belgium 2 years ago. It's a really cool city, but I hope to go again in the Spring when the weather isn't as gray!</div>
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(January 4, 2013)</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KJCfneNYv7M/UQTytsA72KI/AAAAAAAACtQ/nkTqIoqkDZI/s1600/DSC_0031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KJCfneNYv7M/UQTytsA72KI/AAAAAAAACtQ/nkTqIoqkDZI/s640/DSC_0031.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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People playing accordions everywhere, just how I like it.</div>
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(January 4, 2013)</div>
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Give us these daily fries.</div>
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(January 4, 2013)</div>
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Bruges has been called "the Venice of Belgium".</div>
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(January 4, 2013)</div>
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And encore...</div>
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(January 4, 2013)</div>
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My host mom taught me some new knitting stitches. I'm like a new woman. </div>
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(January 20, 2013)</div>
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I got some awesome watercolor painting supplies for Christmas, so I have started painting a little bit in my free time. This is based on a photo I took in Peru two summers ago when we were on the sand dunes.</div>
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(January 20, 2013)</div>
<br />Skylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01261442388718617603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639778862450458013.post-32390896575651020622013-01-05T09:40:00.002-08:002013-01-05T09:42:47.490-08:00denmarkThe day after Christmas, my host family and I went to a little town called Lemvig, Denmark with the basketball team that my host sister plays on. It was rather cold and windy, but I enjoyed myself very much! We took a coach bus (a "car" in French) and we traveled for about 10 hours. We stayed in a cool little cottage along the shore, about 2 kilometers away from the town. Every day, we went and watched my host sister's team, along with many other teams from around the world, play in basketball matches. Belfius Namur Capitale, the name of the team, played very well and actually got second place in the whole tournament! Even though I have never considered myself a huge sports person, I am starting to really like watching basketball. Who knew that my year in Belgium would turn me into a basketball fan?<br />
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En route!</div>
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(December 27, 2012)</div>
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Stopping to see the ocean.</div>
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(December 27, 2012)</div>
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In the fields.</div>
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(December 27, 2012)</div>
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La belle mer.</div>
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(December 27, 2012)</div>
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(December 27, 2012)</div>
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The wind was so strong, it was almost impossible to walk.</div>
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(December 27, 2012)</div>
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My host mom keeping warm!</div>
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(December 27, 2012)</div>
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I accidently got freezing water all over my camera lens...whoops.</div>
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(December 27, 2012)</div>
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Les gens sur la plage.</div>
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(December 27, 2012)</div>
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Belfius Namur Capitale basketball team!</div>
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(December 27, 2012)</div>
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Learn some words in Danish.</div>
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(December 27, 2012)</div>
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The other cottages near ours. I like the red theme.</div>
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(December 27, 2012)</div>
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After the first day. Time to sleep!</div>
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(December 27, 2012)</div>
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The view from our window.</div>
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(December 27, 2012)</div>
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Taking a time-out.</div>
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(December 28, 2012)</div>
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The first game against a German team.</div>
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(December 28, 2012)</div>
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An old fishing boat along the harbor. </div>
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(December 28, 2012)</div>
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I have no idea what you're talking about.</div>
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(December 28, 2012)</div>
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Danish pride; there were flags everywhere!</div>
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(December 28, 2012)</div>
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On the way to the "salle de sport".</div>
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(December 28, 2012)</div>
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Cool moss rocks.</div>
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(December 29, 2012)</div>
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On the walk uphill to the "salle de sport".</div>
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(December 29, 2012)</div>
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My host sister Christelle during a game against another German team.</div>
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(December 29, 2012)</div>
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The basketball team on the last day of the tournament.</div>
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(December 30, 2012)</div>
<br />Skylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01261442388718617603noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639778862450458013.post-11584384773476796952012-12-26T09:04:00.000-08:002012-12-26T09:08:11.685-08:00Noël in Belgium<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This year, and the same with many other exchange students, was my first Christmas away from home. While it was sad at times, my Christmas in Belgium was very fun! Like most, or all, countries in Europe, Christmas Eve is more celebrated than the actual day of Christmas. So, on Christmas Eve, my family and I prepared a lot of appetizers and a meal to eat in the evening. I feel like the preparation for the meal is almost comparable to the Thanksgiving meal. We ate the meal in the evening, and we also opened gifts, instead of in the morning as I normally do in the United States, and went to the midnight mass at the cathedral in Namur. After we returned home at about 2 AM, we ate our dessert and then woke up the next morning and went to my host grandma's house (the mother of my host dad) in Rochefort. We ate a big lunch in traditional Belgian style (with appetizers and different entrées and dessert) and then afterwards we went to the parents house of my host mom in Liège to visit. As usual, I will let the photos do the explaining, because they are better at it than I am! </div>
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I hope that your Christmas was great, and best wishes for the new year!</div>
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This is my host grandma telling a story about American and German soldiers during Christmas time in World War II. She explains how there was a farm with soldiers who were about to fight, but then stopped because it was Christmas. (Stop! C'est Noël.) At the end, she says how the things that happen at Christmastime are incredible. </div>
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Starting off the meal with some champagne.</div>
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(December 24, 2012)</div>
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An appetizer with salmon, cream cheese, and fancy eggs on top. (Some of these photos were really dark so I had to brighten them and that's why they are a little washed out).</div>
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(December 24, 2012)</div>
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Mini bowls of cheese and nutmeg soup!</div>
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(December 24, 2012)</div>
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Scampi with cocktail sauce.</div>
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(December 24, 2012)</div>
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Mini omelettes with mushroom, cheese, and ham cubes.</div>
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(December 24, 2012)</div>
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A slice of Italy! Tomato, mozzarella, and olive with pesto. </div>
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(December 24, 2012)</div>
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Salad with cheese, vinaigrette, and croutons.</div>
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(December 24, 2012)</div>
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I forgot to take pictures of the rest of the meal, but here was the first plate: foie gras, salad, onion jelly, and brioche. It was my first time trying foie gras. While I wasn't a big fan, it never hurts to try!</div>
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(December 24, 2012)</div>
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I got the best gifts I could ever ask for! Some watercolor paints, brushes, and some plants (a cactus and a cool rose decoration).</div>
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(December 24, 2012)</div>
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Every Sunday morning, my host family and I have these awesome pastries. Since Christmas is a special occasion, we had them twice in one week! You eat well in Belgium. </div>
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(December 25, 2012)</div>
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My host dad reading the newspaper at my host grandma's house in Rochefort.</div>
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(December 25, 2012)</div>
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Belgian tomatoes! The real deal.</div>
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(December 25, 2012)</div>
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Even the plates are festive.</div>
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(December 25, 2012)</div>
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My host dad and his brother.</div>
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(December 25, 2012)</div>
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Champagne: day two.</div>
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(December 25, 2012)</div>
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My host cousin let me use his fisheye lens to take a few photos! Here, we are washing dishes: a team effort.</div>
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(December 25, 2012)</div>
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Everyone around the table during dessert. It's kind of a bright photo, but I am hiding in the back next to the window. A terrific Christmas, indeed!</div>
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(December 25, 2012)</div>
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Skylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01261442388718617603noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639778862450458013.post-77721343889615326822012-12-22T12:04:00.003-08:002012-12-22T14:04:19.879-08:00exams, chez callie, and germanyThese past few weeks have been exciting, mostly because the normal school days had stopped for the exams! Exam week in Belgium is rather stressful for the students and I have been told that they are the "most dreaded weeks of the year". However, in my opinion, I am not sure why they stress so much because there is only one exam per day. For example, monday is the history exam, tuesday is the math exam, etc. Additionally, the exams only take two or four hours every day, so afterwards, you are finished. In the United States, the finals are during two days, and you have to take two or four exams per day, depending on your school. However, I can understand why the students stress because the exams are a really large percent of the final grade. Yesterday, I got my "bulletin", which is a report card. Surprisingly, I am passing almost all of my courses except for math and I am currently taking that through my school in the United States while in Belgium so "ce n'est pas grave" (it doesn't really matter). Overall, things are looking good for starting at the university next year when I return to the States, so that is a huge relief!<br />
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Last weekend, I went to a town about half an hour away named Wavre to visit my friend Callie. While I love my host family and my life in Belgium, sometimes it is really great to meet with a friend, speak in your native language, and take a little bit of a "break" from exchange student routine. We had lots of fun joking around, listening to music, and looking up pictures of outer space on Google. (It sounds lame, but if you have never searched "nebulas", you have to do it! It is unbelievable and you will be occupied for hours). We also met up with our friend Sidney on Saturday, so we went to Wavre and walked around. We bought some ice cream, so that was a tasty treat. Later, Callie's host brother taught us some songs on the guitar. Since I have a lot of free time here in Belgium, I have thrown around the idea of possibly buying a guitar. However, my host dad told me that my host cousin has one that he could lend me for the year, so I am excited to start learning how to play! Maybe I will return to the United States next year with some sweet guitar skills.<br />
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Wednesday, my host family and I went to the Christmas market in Germany in a town named Cologne. It was really beautiful and very exciting to visit Germany for the first time! I always thought German was kind of an ugly language, but when I heard people speaking German, I realized that it's actually rather nice. We looked around at the different stands and shops, walked around the city, and drank some "vin chaud" (hot wine), a Christmas tradition in Europe! I took a lot of pictures, so I will let them show what we saw! Sometimes, it just hits me that I am even here in Belgium. A year ago at Christmastime, I had no idea that I would be in another country learning another language, and suddenly, voilà! I am here. I always feel really happy when I think of that, because it shows how much things can truly change in just a year. Who knows where you will be one year from now?<br />
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My friend Callie (left) and Sidney (right) in Louvain-la-Neuve after they met me at the train station.</div>
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(December 14, 2012)</div>
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The morning light from Callie's window caught my eye. Also, I can't sleep past 9 o'clock so I take pictures while my friends sleep. </div>
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(December 15, 2012)</div>
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Euros, euros, everywhere</div>
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Do I have enough?</div>
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...J'espere.</div>
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(December 15, 2012)</div>
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Sidney and Callie in Wavre with the cool Christmas lights.</div>
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(December 15, 2012)</div>
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La belle rue.</div>
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(December 15, 2012)</div>
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Guitar lessons by night.</div>
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(December 15, 2012)</div>
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Waiting for the tram to take us to the Christmas market.</div>
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(December 19, 2012)</div>
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Welcome to Europe, home of cool side streets.</div>
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(December 19, 2012)</div>
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A bike sitting along the Rhine. It's almost too good to be true.</div>
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(December 19, 2012)</div>
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The Cologne Cathedral which is huge! This picture doesn't give it justice.</div>
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(December 19, 2012)</div>
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A stand of little wood carvings. </div>
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(December 19, 2012)</div>
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A stand of glass ornaments.</div>
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(December 19, 2012)</div>
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A stand of all things cats!</div>
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(December 19, 2012)</div>
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Les étoiles dans les arbres.</div>
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(December 19, 2012)</div>
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The entrance to the Christmas market.</div>
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(December 19, 2012)</div>
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Warm cashews, a snack like no other.</div>
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(December 19, 2012)</div>
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My personal favorite stand: bonsai trees.</div>
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(December 19, 2012)</div>
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I wish I could have all of these to hang in my room. They're pretty groovy.</div>
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(December 19, 2012)</div>
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We decided to make a stop at Starbucks while we were in Cologne. I used to work there in the United States, so it brought back many fun memories of coffee bean-grinding and milk-steaming. This is my host sister Christelle and her friend Alizée! </div>
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(December 19, 2012)</div>
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My host parents, Marie and Michel!</div>
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(December 19, 2012)</div>
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<br />Skylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01261442388718617603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639778862450458013.post-7718448802448980802012-12-08T01:20:00.002-08:002012-12-08T03:01:05.506-08:00Au Marché! Being an exchange student is pretty risky when you think about it. Submitting an application to some organization and being chosen by some random family to live in their house for a year is frankly a shot in the dark. Luckily, I was chosen by a great host family! They are always willing to take me anywhere I need to go and I never feel uncomfortable around them. In addition, they are connoisseurs of food and take pride in buying things fresh and locally. Our bread comes from a bakery about five minutes away, our milk and eggs come from a farm down the road, our meat is bought from a butcher instead of a supermarket, and the list goes on.<br />
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Today, I went along with my host dad to the market in Namur. Basically, it's just a parking lot at the University that is filled with tents and stands every Saturday morning. There is a huge variety of food there; seafood, fruits, cheeses, vegetables, chicken, pastries, eggs, and my favorite, olives! There's something about the market that I really like. Maybe it's just because I'm a morning person but, for me, waking up when it's still dark and going to buy food in the freezing cold is a good time.<br />
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Christmas lights in Namur. Also, props to that person biking at 7am.</div>
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(December 8, 2012)</div>
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Rise and shine</div>
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(December 8, 2012)</div>
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Sally sells seashells by the seashore</div>
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(December 8, 2012)</div>
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Weighing the "Thon a Bruxelloise".</div>
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(December 8, 2012)</div>
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Animal activists, I apologize.</div>
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(December 8, 2012)</div>
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My grandma Burkhart always told me that brown eggs were better.</div>
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(December 8, 2012)</div>
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Rainbow of fruits</div>
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(December 8, 2012)</div>
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Goat cheese, my personal favorite!</div>
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(December 8, 2012)</div>
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Seriously, waffles are everywhere. </div>
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(December 8, 2012)</div>
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I used to get olives for Christmas and birthday presents, so I am like a little kid in a candy shop here.</div>
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(December 8, 2012)</div>
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Bags in hand; it was a successful day.</div>
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(December 8, 2012)</div>
<br />Skylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01261442388718617603noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639778862450458013.post-64877130217117997422012-12-06T09:55:00.000-08:002012-12-08T01:48:35.798-08:00Saint Nicholas Est Passé!December 6th is an important holiday in Belgium: the holiday of Saint Nicholas! (La Fête de Saint Nicholas) Traditionally, Belgians give more gifts on the day of Saint Nicholas than Christmas. However, like many other countries, Christmas (December 25th, Santa Clause, etc.) is becoming more of a celebrated holiday. Personally, I think it is kind of disappointing that the traditional cultures are slowly beginning to disappear. I think cultural diversity is an important thing and we should try to keep it for as long as we can.<br />
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"It was the day of the science/economy exams at Saint Louis. Skyler, who did not take the course, had the chance to stay at home for the day. It started off as any other day off of school; waking up with the late morning sun and walking down the hardwood stairs in a sleepy daze. She entered the kitchen and took a mug and tea bag from the cupboard to prepare a nice hot morning drink. As she reached for the faucet, something orange caught her eye. She abruptly turned her head and looked into the dining room. There, on the table, sat an arrangement of extravagant gifts surrounded in gold ribbon; bright orange clementines, boxes of cookies and biscuits, bags of candy, and most importantly, chocolate statues of the famous Saint Nicholas! Skyler had been a good exchange student, and she had been rewarded. Saint Nicholas est passé!"<br />
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"Cat Tongues"...chocolate!</div>
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(December 6, 2012)</div>
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Saint Nicholas hanging out with all of the other Nicks.</div>
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(December 6, 2012)<br />
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Saint Nicholas is serious about giving out gifts to children. Just look at that face.</div>
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(December 6, 2012)</div>
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Clementines! My favorite fruit.</div>
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(December 6, 2012)<br />
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This entire week we have been having little snow showers. I love the snow, but it seems like the Belgians don't like it. They always complain if they hear it is going to snow!</div>
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(December 6, 2012)<br />
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Little bits o' green.</div>
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(December 6, 2012)</div>
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Skylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01261442388718617603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639778862450458013.post-34944018296080102532012-11-16T12:18:00.000-08:002012-12-08T02:58:16.892-08:00Dimanche en Bruxelles and Other ThoughtsLast Sunday, my host family and I took a day-trip to Brussels. Even though I stayed in Brussels with AFS when I first arrived in Belgium, I didn't have the chance to walk around and explore the city. It's about an hour away from where we live, so we drove in the car. We started the day by walking though the government district of the city. My host parents are very knowledgeable about politics and government, so whenever they ask me about United States government (which I don't know very much about) I feel embarrassed because I never have any answers. Maybe I should touch up my knowledge on these things!<br />
After that, we went on a hunt for Belgian chocolates! In fact, I had not tried the "authentic Belgian chocolate" from a chocolate shop, I have only had the bars of chocolate that you buy in the grocery stores. We decided to go to Pierre Marcolini, which is supposed to be "the best". It turned out that Belgian chocolate deserves all of the hype! It's amazing. But then again, it's hard to find bad chocolate.<br />
Next, we visited "La Grande Place", which is a very famous little spot in Brussels that is tourist central. However, it is tourist central for good reason! The buildings are beautiful and the atmosphere is fun and inviting. The rest of the day, we went to several more places including the Cathedral of St. Michael, a really cool restaurant, the Manneken Pis (the famous peeing baby statue), and a movie theater to see Skyfall. It was a fun day filled with new things and new places!<br />
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I have realized that I have not talked much about school or my daily life very much. To be honest, I don't enjoy school very much because it's much more difficult than in the United States and sometimes it's very frustrating. The school that I go to is the best school in Namur, and so in addition to not understanding French very well, the material is very hard. Obviously, I don't receive very good grades yet. Not to sound arrogant, but that is a bit difficult for me because I used to be a fairly good student. Being an exchange student is a very humbling experience, but I am grateful for what I'm learning. I always have to remind myself that I came to Belgium to learn French and have a great experience, not to be an outstanding student. While studying is important, school is not the reason why I came!<br />
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Overall, good things take time. I love everything about my exchange so far except for school, and I think that it's pretty natural to feel that way. There are some times when I am overcome with homesickness, but it quickly passes. If anything, I miss my family and friends the most. I'll be honest, it's hard to connect with people on the level that you want to when there is a language barrier. However, it has only been three months. I think I have progressed in French quite a bit, and I know that with time, things can only keep improving!<br />
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Until the next time!<br />
Skyler<br />
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A beautiful day in Belgium.</div>
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(November 11, 2012)</div>
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La Grande Place -Bruxelles- </div>
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(November 11, 2012)</div>
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If you have ever seen the movie "Exit Through the Gift Shop", you will understand this photo!</div>
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(November 11, 2012)</div>
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Mid-day sunlight</div>
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(November 11, 2012)</div>
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You can never take too many tree pictures.</div>
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(November 11, 2012)</div>
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With fancy chocolates come fancy booklets.</div>
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Chocolate covered strawberries; never a bad decision.</div>
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The dish that my host dad ordered- canard! (duck)</div>
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Street artist doing his thing.</div>
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(November 11, 2012)</div>
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Christelle's waffle. You know you want some!</div>
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(November 11, 2012)</div>
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Le soleil dans nos yeux!</div>
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(November 11, 2012)</div>
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The Manneken Pis!</div>
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(November 11, 2012)</div>
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This is a cool effect I can do on my camera that makes everything look like toys. I love it.</div>
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(November 11, 2012)</div>
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<br />Skylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01261442388718617603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639778862450458013.post-29252982602328038572012-10-23T09:59:00.002-07:002012-10-23T10:24:04.855-07:00Une Promenade Dans Le Bois One thing that I really miss about Pennsylvania is the forest. Here in Belgium, there are forests, but I don't get to visit them on a regular basis because I live close to the city. Fortunately, the weather on Sunday was great, so my host family and I went on a little outdoors adventure. However, it was also a day for the hunters, which we didn't know about, so we had to stay on the road and we couldn't go into the woods. It was no big deal, because it was still beautiful. Since it is Autumn, the trees are bright and vivid with color. It was a perfect day to spend outside! After our little hike, we went to a restaurant that served their dishes in cast-iron pans. I ordered an "omelette aux champignons" (omelette with mushrooms). Afterwards, we went to Bastogne, which is where American and German armies fought each other in the Battle of the Bulge during World War II. My host parents told me that "all of the Americans go to Bastogne", so I guess it was just part of my duty as an American citizen. Overall, it was a really fun day, and I'm thankful to have such a great host family!<br />
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I saw more forest mushrooms in one day than I have in my entire life.</div>
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(October 21, 2012)</div>
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My host sister Christelle with some fall leaves.</div>
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(October 21, 2012)</div>
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Nature is awesome.</div>
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(October 21, 2012)</div>
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This picture is a terrible representation of what I was actually seeing.</div>
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(October 21, 2012)</div>
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Welcome to Belgium, where everything is written in at least two languages.</div>
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(October 21, 2012)</div>
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Mushrooms, encore.</div>
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(October 21, 2012)</div>
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Just look at those colors.</div>
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(October 21, 2012)</div>
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If you come to Belgium, you will eat like royalty. This was some sort of delicious pastry with apricot. I'm not really sure what it was called because I have learned to not ask questions when it comes to food. </div>
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(October 21, 2012)</div>
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My host dad took these pictures. (Behind the scenes!)</div>
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I never thought my host sister was that tall until I saw this picture. (Or else my host mom and I are really short).</div>
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"When in Belgium, don't eat waffles", said no one ever. </div>
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Representing the mother land.</div>
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Doing the tourist thing. </div>
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Skylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01261442388718617603noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639778862450458013.post-84903403615246513622012-10-11T11:18:00.001-07:002012-10-11T11:18:30.680-07:00Sunday in Antwerp This past Saturday night at the AFS welcome party, my friend Karla from Guatemala randomly invited me to go to Antwerp with her the next day. As an exchange student, you learn to live by the motto "pourquoi pas/why not?" So, I invited some other friends along and we all took the train the next morning from Namur to Brussels to Antwerp. I must admit, I loved Antwerp. While it's much bigger and a bit more modern-looking than Namur, I loved how vast and open it was. Also, bikes were everywhere! One thing I miss about the United States is riding a bike. Where I live, my host family doesn't even own a bike, so that is a big change for me.<br />
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In Antwerp, we visited an art house/garden called "Rubens House". It was really great to look at the art, but honestly, I am not the biggest fan of art from the romantic period. (I'm more of a fan of the surrealism style) Nevertheless, it was still really cool, and the garden was awesome! It had tons of cool plants and statues.<br />
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After the art house, we went to the pier. One thing that I really like about Belgium is that there is graffiti everywhere! It was no different there. There was a man playing accordion, the weather was beautiful, and the pier had tons of awesome graffiti...what more could one want? Overall, Antwerp was really spectacular. Because Belgium is so small, it is easy to travel to cities in just an hour or two. I am excited to visit even more places as the year continues!<br />
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It could be the Fountain of Youth. Who knows.</div>
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(October 7, 2012)</div>
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My friend Caleb hanging out with some creeping plants.</div>
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(October 7, 2012)</div>
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My friend Anita looking down from the balcony of a Turkish restaurant.</div>
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Shadow People</div>
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(October 7, 2012)</div>
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Grote Markt </div>
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(October 7, 2012)</div>
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Grote Markt</div>
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(October 7, 2012)</div>
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Port of Antwerp</div>
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(October 7, 2012)</div>
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Antwerp train station. (I was obliged to do the tourist thing and take a picture)</div>
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(October 7, 2012)</div>
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<br />Skylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01261442388718617603noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639778862450458013.post-43711941572417221202012-09-25T11:32:00.000-07:002012-09-25T11:38:18.847-07:00NamurNamur, the capital of Wallonia, is the city that I travel to by bus every day for school and where I go occasionally on the weekends with friends. Luckily, it is only about fifteen minutes away from my house. It's a very "typical" European ville, with cobblestone streets, brick buildings, and lots of restaurants and cafes. I am very fortunate to live so close to a city because Belgium has lots of country side. It is very small compared to Philadelphia, but I have found some great little spots and it is common to see people that you recognize passing you on the street. Even though I really do miss the trees and forests of PA, it has been great to live everyday in an urban setting. It's a different life here, but that doesn't mean it's a bad life! These are just a few photos of Namur that I have taken since my arrival in Belgium.<br />
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View of part of the city from the Citadelle de Namur.</div>
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(August 29, 2012)</div>
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An important building of which I forget the name.</div>
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(August 28, 2012)</div>
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My friend Callie (from Texas!) sitting in the park in Namur.</div>
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(September 23, 2012)</div>
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Leave it to the birds.</div>
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(September 23, 2012)</div>
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Callie monkeying around under the bridge that crosses the Sambre River.</div>
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(September 23, 2012)</div>
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En fin, a waffle was eaten. And yes, they do deserve the hype!</div>
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(September 15, 2012)</div>
<br />Skylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01261442388718617603noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639778862450458013.post-11650266967860383512012-09-11T09:23:00.002-07:002012-09-11T09:30:03.932-07:00fiesta! or i mean, fête d'anniversaire To have godparents is a very common thing in Belgium. On Sunday, my host mom's god-daughter had a birthday so we went to her house to celebrate. I quickly learned that parties in Belgium consist of eating lots of food, talking, and eating even more food. This adds up to a total of about seven to eight hours of eating and talking. In other words, when Belgians have a party, they make the most of it!<br />
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Lighting the candles of the exotic fruitcake</div>
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(September 9, 2012)</div>
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Un, deux, trois...</div>
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(September 9, 2012)</div>
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Belgium should get more credit for their whipped cream</div>
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(September 9, 2012)</div>
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This cat was not amused</div>
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(September 9, 2012)</div>
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Mirror, mirror on the wall, </div>
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why is there another bird in my house</div>
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(September 9, 2012)</div>
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Skylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01261442388718617603noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639778862450458013.post-2852708329052079152012-08-28T09:31:00.002-07:002012-08-28T09:47:14.908-07:00FAIRE DES GAUFRESToday, my host sister Christelle and I decided to make some "authentic Belgian waffles". Although they turned out rather crunchy, they were still <<trés bon>>! Learning how to make food with the metric system was also interesting. Using a balance instead of a measuring cup seems so much more refined.<br />
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French recipe book</div>
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(August 28, 2012)</div>
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Christelle sifting the flour and baking powder into the batter.</div>
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(August 28, 2012)</div>
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The plot thickens</div>
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(August 28, 2012)</div>
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Making the egg whites "like snow", as they would say in French.</div>
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(August 28, 2012)</div>
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Ready to take the heat</div>
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(August 28, 2012)</div>
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The finished product...beaucoup des gaufres!</div>
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(August 28, 2012)</div>
<br />Skylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01261442388718617603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639778862450458013.post-87053798109465454082012-08-26T14:15:00.001-07:002012-08-28T09:48:14.118-07:00salut!Three days in Belgium have passed already and I am loving it so far. I promised my mom that I wouldn't move to Europe when I was older but now I am not so sure. Everything is small and accessible, and the people are great. The stereotype of Europeans being "laid back" has been completely applicable so far.<br />
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The flight from New York City to Zurich, Switzerland was long, around eight hours. We then flew to Brussels from Switzerland and stayed there for three days with the AFS Belgium-French organization in an old boarding school. There, we got to know other exchange students from other countries (ex. Ecuador, Finland, Japan), practiced a little French, and ate some shady food. No worries, we are all in good health.<br />
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This is the first night at my host family's house, and so far it has been great! They are very friendly and willing to help me in any way that I can. They are very eco-friendly and earth-conscious. For example, they have solar panels on the roof that heat the water, they reuse their glass bottles, and use their collected rainwater for sink use. It rains almost every day in Belgium, so in the words of my host father, "it is not a problem". My French is far from proficient, but I am trying to speak as much as I can with my host family. They also speak English, so sometimes I find myself being a wimp and switching to English when I cannot think of the right words to say. I hope this changes, because the dream is to be fluent as soon as possible!</div>
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Swiss Airlines flying over Zurich, Switzerland</div>
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(August 23, 2012)</div>
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Multicultural differences among Americans. A new friend from Ohio enlightened me on the joys of cucumber water. </div>
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(August 25, 2012)</div>
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My friend Hannah looking out over Brussels</div>
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(August 25, 2012)</div>
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Rare sunlight during Saturday night supper with AS.</div>
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(August 25, 2012)</div>
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Rain during breakfast</div>
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(August 26, 2012)</div>
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Skylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01261442388718617603noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639778862450458013.post-55458324288210051112012-05-22T19:56:00.000-07:002012-08-26T13:46:45.327-07:00>3 monthsIn less than 3 months, I will be in another country. It's real-talk time now.<br />
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I had my pre-departure orientation this past Saturday. It was really great to meet all of the other people studying abroad, as well as gain some more insight on what to expect. We all had a great time getting to know each other, and I think that a really cool group has come together. I think it was also really good for my mom to talk to other parents who will be experiencing the "loss" of a child. I will be her second child that is living overseas, and it's really hard for both of my parents to realize that we won't be living in a 20 mile radius like the rest of their family. It happens.<br />
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I'm kind of like a senior right now in school, I guess. I went to prom this past saturday after my orientation, and it was actually a really great time. Looking back, high school didn't suck as much as everyone said it would. I will miss all of the friends I made, but it's definitely time to move on. I have to do all of these senior requirements in just a few weeks time, like graduation project and standardized tests and other stuff, but that's all right with me. <br />
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Also, side note. My 9th grade English teacher gave me a full-sized accordion for free the other day. It's probably one of the best gifts I have ever received. I want to take it with me to Belgium, but it's over 30 pounds. Maybe I will sacrifice clothes for heavy musical instrument of magic.<br />
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Skylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01261442388718617603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8639778862450458013.post-44298154606931652662012-04-09T08:43:00.003-07:002012-05-25T21:03:27.463-07:00some newsIt's weird how plans fall together so quickly. Just a few months ago, studying abroad was just an idea being thrown around. Now, as of a few weeks ago, I have discovered that I will be spending my senior year of high school studying abroad in Belgium. And, thanks to the Speedwell Scholarship, it will be free of cost. When I got the call from AFS on March 22, after I screamed like a man, I realized that my life would be incredibly different in a year's time. <br />
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The application process was somewhat interesting. Several papers and documents were needed to complete the application, including a handful of signatures from doctors, teachers, and school officials. Each time I told these people that I was planning on studying abroad, a variety of reactions occurred. Some were supportive, some were surprised, and some even appeared to be amused. Even more so, some were confused. I think the most common question that has been asked is simply, "Aren't you scared?"<br />
Yes, I am scared. I am nervous. I am hesitant. But, more importantly, I am also excited. I have no expectations for this coming year, and I can only hope that this state of mind will enure the best experience possible. <br />
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Along the way, I hope to post photos and posts of my journey. I will not do this to boast and brag about my experiences, but to simply show what's going on. There are so many things to see, and I want to share at least a tiny glimpse on this blog. Feel free to contact me at any time with questions, comments, etc <br />
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As for now, I wait for four more months before I leave the U.S! I hope to make these last few months very memorable with a combination of close friends, the outdoors, and good conversation. Belgium...see ya soon.Skylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01261442388718617603noreply@blogger.com1